METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS-HAEMOLYTICUS ON THE HANDS OF HEALTH-CARE WORKERS - A ROUTE OF TRANSMISSION OR A SOURCE

We undertook a cross-sectional study of hand carriage and environmenta l contamination of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphyloco cci on three wards of a single subspeciality surgical service. Sixteen hand cultures from 15 health care workers and 32 environmental cultur es were obtained. Of 49 isolates, 35 (72%) were Staphylococcus haemoly ticus. This species comprised 14 of the 16 (87%) hand isolates and 21 of the 32 (66%) environmental isolates. Using restriction length polym orphism of total DNA, we identified a single clone of S. haemolyticus on the hands of four health care workers and in the environment at sev en locations on two wards. The widespread dissemination of a single cl one suggests transmission of S. haemolyticus on the wards and prompts further prospective studies.